Plug and socket connector

ABSTRACT

A stamped pin and socket connector; the pin and socket are both generally tubular, but split longitudinally at one side; the pin has an external groove, generally longitudinal but with a curved portion at the leading end; the socket has slightly overlapping edges at the split, one of which has a nose that enters the groove in the pin, and the curve in the groove forces the socket to &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;wind up&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; and tighten on the pin and make firm contact engagement therewith.

United States Patent 1 Hubner et a1.

[ 1 Aug. 13, 1974' 1 PLUG AND SOCKET CONNECTOR [75] Inventors: Oswald Hubner, Neuenstadt; Horst Wilheim Benker, Heilbronn, both of Germany [73] Assignee: Bunker Ramo Corporation, Oak

Brook, 111.

[22] Filed: July 13, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 271,502

[52] US. Cl. 339/88 C, 339/188 C, 339/217 R,

339/256 R [51] Int. Cl H0lr 13/54 [58] Field of Search 339/88, 95, 256, 217, 188

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 8/1964 Senior, Jr 339/217 R 4/1968 Moulin 339/95 R 3,689,866 9/1972 Kelly 339/59 R FORElGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 200,206 4/1958 Germany 339/88 C Primary Examiner.loseph l-l. McGlynn Attorney, Agent, or FirmW. Lohff; F. M. Arbuckle 5 7 1 ABSTRACT A stamped pin and socket connector; the pin and socket are both generally tubular, but 'split longitudinally at one side; the pin has an external groove, generally longitudinal but with a curved portion at the leading end; the socket has slightly overlapping edges at the split, one of which has a nose that enters the groove in the pin, and the curve in the groove forces the socket to wind up" and tighten on the pin and make firm contact engagement therewith.

4 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures 1 PLUG AND SOCKET CONNECTOR OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION A broad object of the invention is to provide an electrical connector construction of such character as to provide unusually good electrical contact engagement between the engaged parts, enabling the connector contacts to be made of material less expensive than that required heretofore, while still maintaining the desired and necessary engagement between the contacts.

Another object, and one that is directly bearing on that just previously referred to, is to provide a connector construction that eliminates the need for expensive spring material heretofore found necessary.

Still another object is to provide a connector construction of the foregoing general character which provides a high mating force between the two contacts of the connector.

Still another object is to provide a new method of effecting a mating operation between the two contacts of the connector.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side view of the two contacts of the connector in position for connection, with a diagrammatic indication of the plug halves in which they are mounted;

FIG. 2 is a view taken at line 2-2 of FIG. 1',

FIG. 3 is a view taken at line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side view taken at line 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a view taken at line 5-5 of FIG. I; and

FIG. 6 is a side view taken at line 6-6 of FIG. 1.

The connector of the present invention is of the type having a pair of plugs, one having a plurality of pins or pin contacts, and the other having a similar plurality of socket contacts, and when the plugs are fitted together the pin contacts are inserted into the socket contacts.

In accordance with the principal objective of the. invention, namely to produce effective Contact engagement between the contacts of the connector, the construction disclosed herein is directed to a specific manner in which the interengaging elements of the contacts are brought into firm Contact engagement.

Referring to FIG. 1, the connector is identified generally at 10 and includes a pin Contact or male member 12, and a socket Contact or female member 14. This connector is generally of known type, with the contacts being mounted in connector blocks, the blocks being fitted together to provide the desired interengagement. For example, the pin contact 12 is mounted in a connector block 16 while the socket contact is mounted in a connector block 18. The manner of mounting these Contact members and fitting the connector blocks together is well known, but it is desired to point out that the contacts are so mounted against rotation in a manner described hereinbelow.

The pin contact 12 includes a pin element 20 and a mounting element 22. The contact is generally tubular in form being shaped from a blank in a manner known, having side edges of the blank forming a seam'24. The seam 24 may be closed, or open, i.e., with the edges defining the same being spaced apart, as desired.

The mounting portion 22 preferably is larger than the pin element 20, and it is mounted in the connector block 16 as mentioned, FIG. 1 showing the cable to which the Contact is connected, as represented by a number of individual conductors 26. The portion 22 of the Contact may be connected with the electrical conductor as by crimping, or by soldering, etc. This phase of the device is in accordance with any known and desired form of construction and operation.

The mounting portion 22 includes an ear or lug 28 shaped from the blank from which the Contact is formed; it extends radially outwardly and fits in a groove 30 in the connector block 16 and prevents rotation of the Contact in the block.

The socket Contact 14 includes a socket element 32 which is generally tubular in form and a mounting or connecting portion 34 which can be connected with a conductor or cable 36 in any known manner, such as by crimping.

The pin contact and socket have cooperating and interengaging elements operative for producing the desired firm electrical Contact engagement. More specifically, the socket element 32 is constructed so as to be contracted in radial direction, to more effectively en gage the contact element of the pin Contact. For this purpose the pin element 20 is provided with a groove 38 which is stamped in, or compressed, or formed in the outer surface thereof. This groove extends generally longitudinally, but it has a component of circumferential curvature 40 adjacent the leading end of the pin element. This groove 38 is best shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. Preferably the pin element 20 is provided with a leading end portion 42 of tapered conformation, facilitating entrance of the pin element into the socket element, and the groove extends into that tapered portion 42 for facilitating entrance into the groove of a nose or finger in the socket Contact described hereinbelow.

Reference is next made to the socket contact construction and represented in the lower portion of FIG. 1 and in FIGS. 5 and 6. The socket contact 14 is also shaped from a blank into generally tubular form, having a contact element 44 and a connector portion 46, the latter being of any desired shapeand conformation, such as for Crimping on the cable 36 identified above. The socket contact 14 has a main circumferential ele ment or leaf 48 extending generally the length of the contact element, this leaf being on one side of a seam 50 formed by shaping the blank into a tubular construction, and on the other side of the seam 50 are a pair of leaves 52, 54. The leaf 48 has a lug or ear 56 for insertion into a groove 60 in the connector plug .18 as referred to again hereinbelow. The leaf 52 at its terminal portion adjacent the seam 50, is bent radially inwardly, i.e., curved about a shorter radius, so that its inner end extends under and radially inwardly of the leaf 48, as represented in FIG. 5. At the terminal edge of this leaf 52 is a nose or hook 58 extending generally radially inwardly.

The other leaf 54 which is spaced in axial direction from the leaf 52 by a transverse slot 62 may reside in the same circumference as the main portion of the tubular member as represented by the leaf 48; or if desired, this leaf may abut against the leaf 48, as represented in the lower portion of FIG. 1 and in FIG. 6.

In the use of the device, the plug parts or plug halves l6, 18 are interfitted, these plug parts having numerous contacts, for example or or 100 or 200. As has been a problem heretofore, and generally recognized, the matter of producing good contact engagement between the contacts has been an extreme problem. Heretofore, it has been generally the practice to utilize metal or material that has a high spring value, i.e., when deflected, it springs back into its original or preformed condition, and applying that phenomenon to the present construction that resilience or springiness was heretofore considered essential in producing an effective connector contact construction. In the present instance the construction eliminates the necessity for such spring material, and enables the utilization of an inexpensive material for effecting the desired electrical contact engagement between the contact elements.

When the connector plug parts or halves 16, 18 are put together, and the pin element 20 enters into the socket element 44, the nose 58 enters into the groove 38, and as the pin element proceeds further into the socket element, the curvature of the groove 38 moves the nose 58 circumferentially according to the curvature of the groove, and this produces a reduction of the radius of the socket element, and a winding up or wrapping up or tightening of the socket element 44, producing an intense contact engagement between that element and the pin element 20. In this action, the leaf 48 is confined by the wall of the aperture in the block 18 in which the contact is positioned and the leaf 52 is confined by the leaf 48. The leaf 54, remains substantially in a common cylinder with the leaf 48 and maintains that portion of the contact of full diameter and thereby aids in retaining the contact securely in position in the aperture in the block. Not only is there a contraction in radial direction, which produces a contact engagement force, but there is a rubbing or wiping or circumferential moving effect between the two elements which produces a still greater contact engagement between the elements. In the case of inexpensive material, as contrasted with spring material, it is possible for it to stretch to a degree and effect still greater contact engagement.

The two contacts namely, 12 and 14 are to be held against rotation, and for this purpose the ears or lugs 28 and 56 are provided. As indicated above, the lug 28 is disposed in a groove 30 while the lug 56 is disposed in a groove 60 in the plug part 18. Thus the two contact members are held against rotation in the respective plug parts when the plug parts are put together.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the pin contact 12 and socket contact 14 of the electrical connector of the invention are capable of telescoping position and include inter-locking elements represented by groove 38 and nose 58 which are operative in response to the telescoping movement of the contacts for changing the effective diameter of one of the contacts represented by socket contact 14 to thereby bring the contacts into tight contact engagement. To facilitate the change in diameter of socket contact 14, leaves 48 and 52 are displaced radially a distance at least as great as the thickness of wall 64 of socket contact 14 with leaf 52 including nose 58 which extends radially inwardly. Leaf 48 includes lug 56 which acts as means for mounting contact 14 in connector block 18 against bodily rotation around its longitudinal axis.

With respect to contacts 12 and 14, it is seen that leaves 66 and 68 are providedon opposite sides of seam 24 on pin contact 12 with groove 38 being on leaf 68. On contact 14, leaves 52 and 54 are spaced apart axially on opposite sides of transverse slot 62 of substantial circumferential extent.

In the method of producing firm contactengagement between pin contact 12 and socket contact 14 provided by the invention, the method is carried out by telescoping pin contact 12 in the socket contact 14 in a longitudinal direction, and by reducing socket contact in diameter to thereby bring it into firm binding engagement with pin contact 12 as a result of the telescoping movement. As described above, the step of reducing the diameter of socket contact 14 is produced by overlapping leaves 48 and 52 on opposite sides of seam 50 in a circumferential direction and relatively moving the leading edges of the leaves in a circumferential direction to thereby produce a wrapping effect of the leaves on pin contact 12. i

We claim:

1. An electrical connector comprising.

a pin contact and a socket contact capable of telescoping position,

the pin contact having an external groove extending generally longitudinally but having a component of curvature in circumferential direction,

the socket contact having a socket element generally tubular but having a longitudinal seam forming leaves on opposite sides thereof, and those leaves are relatively displaced radially a distance at least as great as the thickness of the wall of the socket element, and the radially inner leaf has a nose extending radially inwardly,

said nose entering into said groove, with the groove being operative for guiding the nose by the curvature of the groove in circumferential direction and thereby drawing the radially inner edge of the socket element into said tight contact engagement with the pin contact.

2. An electrical connector according to claim 1 wherein each contact is made in tubular form from a blank, and the pin contact as wellas the socket contact has a longitudinal seam forming leaves on opposite sides of the seam.

3. An electrical connector according to claim 1 wherein the pin contact has a tapered leading end portion, and the groove has a leading end element extending into that tapered portion, and said leading end element is included in said component of curvature.

4. An electrical connector according to claim 1 wherein a pair of leaves are provided on one side of the seam, spaced apart axially on opposite sides of a transverse slot of substantial circumferential extent, one of the pair is said radially inner leaf and the other of the pair remains substantially in a common cylinder with the leaf on the side of the seam opposite therefrom. 

1. An electrical connector comprising a pin contact and a socket contact capable of telescoping position, the pin contact having an external groove extending generally longitudinally but having a component of curvature in circumferential direction, the socket contact having a socket element generally tubular but having a longitudinal seam forming leaves on opposite sides thereof, and those leaves are relatively displaced radially a distance at least as great as the thickness of the wall of the socket element, and the radially inner leaf has a nose extending radially inwardly, said nose entering into said groove, with the groove being operative for guiding the nose by the curvature of the groove in circumferential direction and thereby drawing the radially inner edge of the socket element into said tight contact engagement with the pin contact.
 2. An electrical connector according to claim 1 wherein each contact is made in tubular form from a blank, and the pin contact as well as the socket contact has a longitudinal seam forming leaves on opposite sides of the seam.
 3. An electrical connector according to claim 1 wherein the pin contact has a tapered leading end portion, and the groove has a leading end element extending into that tapered portion, and said leading end element is included in said component of curvature.
 4. An electrical connector according to claim 1 wherein a pair of leaves are provided on one side of the seam, spaced apart axially on opposite sides of a transverse slot of substantial circumferential extent, one of the pair is said radially inner leaf and the other of the pair remains substantially in a common cylinder with the leaf on the side of the seam opposite therefrom. 